Picture Of The Month! Texas Hill Country Beauty! (Click Image for a Larger View)

Every month customers send us killer photos and I see no reason to keep them to myself so what better way to say thanks for sharing than to post them in this Picture of the Month spot..

Our May / June POTM was contributed by our good buddy, Ken Bowen. He says of this shot from 2010..“Just did a ride last weekend to the Texas Hill Country, a 495 mile RTE from Dallas to Llano, TX on Saturday. All the Texas Bluebonnets are in bloom and spectacular this year! This shot was northeast of Cherokee and Llano, TX, on Texas FM 501. It was a hard decision to pick a spot as there were so many great photo opps!"

If you would like to contribute your own "worthy" shot for our newsletter, here's what I'll need. First.. just email me 1 or 2 of your best digital shots or send me a link if you've already uploaded them somewhere. It'll need to be at least 1024x768 in size or larger and preferably A. Of any late model BMW .. B. In focus... C. No GSs for God's sake.

A Motorcycling Legacy... or Last of the Mohicans? ...

In my never ending quest to fill the last few newsletters with articles and/or material, rather than seek out or write something new, I'll just re-post this one from a few years ago. Pretty sure some of you can relate...

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While my whole life revolves around motorcycling and I could no more give it up than I could give up breathing or cunnilingus, the sport has cost me dearly. My first (and only) street  accident in the first few months of my riding career put me in the hospital for 9 months followed by 2 years of rehab with a final result being a permanently f@#ed up knee, mental and physical scars, and neck issues which will last to infinity and beyond. Due to the aforementioned close encounter with a Buick, I eventually had to give up many things I lived for... tennis.. running.. karate.. climbing.. bicycling.  That was a dark period in my life. One I never think or talk about. Of course history will record that I got back in the saddle after my lengthy recuperation. Riding is simply in my genes... It's who I am.

A while back I got a call from my daughter warning me that my newly married 18 year old grandson, Christian would be calling soon wanting advice (and I suspect.. my blessing) on buying his first motorcycle.  After all.. I am the designated motorcyclist in the family and I am "mostly" respectable and I've survived for eons against all odds.  While I was not surprised this day would come,.. I'd been dreading it for a long time. I had already been asking myself... (after what happened to me)... "should I promote motorcycling within my family?"  Could my obsession with motorcycling be hereditary? While I awaited the inevitable call.. I pondered  my past, the possibilities of things to come, and my responsibilities as elder of the clan.... Read the whole story..

I-BMW Reunion.. Pirates Lair Party Cancellation Notice!

As most of you know by now, 2 years ago we were on the brink of our Pirates Lair / I-BMW Reunion party when God tried to kill me with a heart attack. While he failed (once again) to take me out, our party plans didn't survive. We had almost 40 confirmed guests coming from all over the country, a live Mariachi band, and enough KFC chicken ordered to endanger the species. As anti-social as I am, I was honestly looking forward to seeing everyone.

We postponed the event for a year then ran into Covid and a lot of paranoid people so we delayed it again. We thought we could finally put the event together for 2023, but I noticed that in the interim I hadn't had a single soul ask me about an updated event or show the slightest interest. I began to wonder if I was the only one feeling nostalgic.

Last newsletter I asked my peers for feedback about one last I-BMW party. I contacted a few individuals directly. Some on the various social media platforms. Some using my telepathic skills. The consensus was as clear as an unmuddied stream. Out of thousands of former I-BMW members and lurkers contacted, I got 3 responses. The numbers simply aren't there..

That being said, we've decided to pull the plug on the party due to lack of interest, a general malaise, and few heapings of comfortable apathy. I missed my window 2 years ago (thanks allot, God) and with all things in life... it's all about timing. As I write this I am one sad pirate, but looking back.. it was a great ride while it lasted and I have lots of wonderful memories of past gatherings and many good friends to show for it..

BMW Recall Notice: All 2019-2023 BMW R1250GS / Adventure & R1250RT!

On January 18, 2023, BMW of North America announced a safety recall for all 2019 through 2023 R 1250 GS, R 1250 GS Adventure, and R 1250 RTP motorcycles due to the potential risk of a broken gearbox input shaft. In certain conditions, the gearbox input shaft could become overloaded, causing it to break. This could, in turn, block the rear wheel, which could increase the risk of a crash and a really bad day.. 

Owners will be notified via postal mail that they should stop riding their affected bikes and contact their local authorized BMW dealer for recall service. The remedy involves an update to the engine control unit software on affected bikes, which will be performed free of charge by dealers under the terms of this recall. BMW has also issued a Stop Sale notice to its dealers for all affected 2019 through 2023 R 1250 GS, R 1250 GS Adventure, and R 1250 RTP bikes until recall service has been performed. 

BMW North America notified its dealer network about this recall on January 18, 2023. It plans to notify owners of affected bikes on March 10, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov. NHTSA’s campaign number for this recall is 23V-011. Comprehensive details here...

The History of I-BMW Rallies In Pictures: Get Them While They Are Still Available!

A few years ago when Vic Salemme shut down I-BMW.com with virtually no notice to members, we lost access to almost 20 years of rally and personal pictures, articles, and ride reports. Many of them my own. Stupidly I didn't save copies for my own files assuming that I-BMW would be around into infinity and beyond. That's on me, but.... dayum. What an epic loss. Every now and then I think of one or two of my lost stories. There's still a "ghost image" of I-BMW at the Wayback Machine website if you have the time to sort through it's remains. It's kind of like what Superman would find if he visited the remains of Krypton. Bits and pieces. Carnage of what once was.

Last week I got to thinking.. Sometime within the next 2 years when this aging pirate retires and shuts down the biz, there's gonna be some collateral damage.. ie.. our Pirates Lair SmugMug Photo Gallery will also go away. It costs me a nice sum to keep all the I-BMW rally photos stored and displayed there. I keep those photos available as a courtesy to our customers..

Unlike Vic, I'm giving all youz guyz a heads up now (and in the remaining newsletters) that if you want to save any old rally pics... now would be the time to find and download them. They are free for the taking. I'll assume you just pull up a picture, right click on it, and save to your hard drive. Or you could just pull up the picture and use your Windows "Snippet Tool." It's that easy.. FYI.. I saved pics from dozens of I-BMW rallies going back to 1999... Blue Ridge Parkway Rally, Deals Gap Rally , Texas Hill Country Rally, Sierra Gold Rush Rally, Rocky Mountain Rally, Australian I-BMW Rally, and our infamous Wall of Shame photos. Enjoy.

1. MotoGP NBC Sports schedulefor the 2023 season ... Woohoo!

2. What Your Motorcycle Says About Your Personality... The article looks like pablum for the masses. Probably written my a non-rider, but it may interest the types that actually believe in horoscopes...

3. Tell us something we don't already know... Riding a Motorcycle Has Mental and Physical Benefits, New Research Shows

4. If you are the owner of a 2022 or 2023 K1600 Bagger or Grand America owner thinking about a Remus Quad slip-on exhaust kit and wondering if the 2018-2020 listed kit will fit your bike.... Yes..The MFR just got back to me with confirmation that part# rms7783 089518L and part# rms7783 089518R are confirmed to fit the 2022 and 2023 K1600 Bagger and Grand America . Here's an install how- to sent to us from one of our customers .. ‘22 K1600B - Remus install

5. What Motorcyclists Talk About... An interesting article from RoadcraftUSA.com

6. In case you've not been paying attention, Staintune exhausts has a new owner and they've been making great progress getting the company back up to ramming speed. They've been producing systems for mostly smaller (under 650cc) bikes thus far, but.. we just got news a week ago that they are in pre-production for some kits for the BMW R1250 GS/GSA and should start production in February closely followed by their famous Conti Replicas including a version for the early Boxers. I'll post pics as soon as they are available. You can check out the all new Staintune website here.. and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page there's a very cool 13 minute video showing where the company is today, the new facility, and an idea of where they're going with the product line.

7. Here's some 2023 model updates and pictures for 2023 R1250GS / Adventure, R1250RT... Some of it is in German.. Some English..

8. 2023 BMW Motorrad R1250RS Updated, New colors

9. We're being told that Oberon (in the UK) will have new billet gas caps for late model BMWs sometime this year including one for the K16 series. Since Slingshot Racing discontinued their entire line recently due to "Build Back Better", aftermarket gas caps are virtually nonexistent in this galaxy. Yes, the British caps do cost more, but they are of supreme quality. I have one on my K1200S.

1. Our planned October Pirates Lair / I-BMW Reunion Party has been cancelled. (See blurb above..)

2.We just got news from ZTechnik that their 2022-2023 R1250RT VStream Touring and Sport Touring Windscreens are available..

3. We were just notified that ZTechnik has discontinued their popular Z Pods. They've all been sold.

4. I heard from the Austrians this am.. They confirmed the 2019-2022 Black Hawk slip-on exhaust kit will fit the 2023 BMW R1250RS / R1250R models. I just changed the information on our website to reflect this.. FYI..

5. Bad news for those who've been putting off buying a Remus or Akrapovic exhaust for your chosen steed.. Both companies have raised their retail prices by almost $200 per kit as of Jan 1st. I've spent the last few weeks trying to update our website with the new pricing and it's not fun. Don't shoot the messenger..

6. In case you hadn't noticed, the price of everything has skyrocketed over the last year or so. We all know who's to blame so I won't dwell on it. I'm bringing this up as most of our customers have probably noticed that prices on our menu have started creeping (or even rocketing) up in an exponential way. Besides the weekly increases in shipping costs (both here and abroad) virtually every month one of my vendors is contacting me with price changes that I'll be required to implement. Just wanted to say.. '"I'm sorry.. It's out of my control." Build Back Better.

7. If you like camping or know people who enjoy that type of outdoorsy punishment and have been wanting to visit the Asheville area and ride the Blue Ridge Parkway, we just got up a preliminary web page up for Amber's campground. Paradise Ridge Permaculture Campground. We'll be tweaking it over the next few weeks or months. Motorcycles welcome. Even GS's.

I-BMW Reunion.. Pirates Lair Is Throwing Another Party! October 14th, 2023 (CANCELLED DUE TO APATHY)

Where: 122 Flat Top Mountain Rd, Fairview, NC 28730
Remember, when you Google directions to our property to make sure you put in the zip code as there are TWO 122 Flat Top Mountain Rds in North Carolina. We don't want you getting lost or showing up at the wrong one.. Awkward.
GPS Coordinates: N 35 degrees, W 082 degrees
When: Sat. October 14th, 2023
Contact : 828-628-7093 or Pirateslair@gmail.com
Nearby Motel: Ramada by Wyndham Asheville Southeast

Sorry everybody..We've decided to pull the plug on the Pirates Lair / I-BMW reunion party due to lack of interest. Missed my window 2 years ago and with all things in life... it's all about timing...